


Rumors

by gonnaflynow



Series: Bottom Erwin Adventures [4]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, First Time, Food, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, awkward motherfucker Erwin Smith, bottom erwin, eruri - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-09
Updated: 2014-05-09
Packaged: 2018-01-24 03:22:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1589840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gonnaflynow/pseuds/gonnaflynow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was a running joke between students and faculty alike that the only person Levi Ackerman would ever listen to was Erwin Smith.</p><p>The truth, however, was far from being that simple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rumors

**Author's Note:**

> [Happy Bottom Erwin Week!](http://bottomerwinweek.tumblr.com) (SUPER LATE, GJ BUDDY.) Fun fact: I actually organized it. Now you know! And oh my god, everyone’s art and writing and everything is so amazing I am just out of words. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who has contributed in any way this week. (oops was that a pun)
> 
> Because I’m running a little short on free time right now for various personal reasons, I’ve decided to combine some of the prompts. Today’s fic is made up from day one and two – on the job and food. I’m pretty sure this is the cutest thing I’ve ever written. I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Additionally: Actual Dad Erwin Smith is modeling [this](http://www.dunedincashmere.co.uk/images/_lib/dunedin-mens-fashion-single-v-neck-100-cashmere-luxury-jumper-sweater-a04368-navy-3000719-0-1376342316000.jpg) lovely ensemble on his first dinner date with Levi (except probably with a shirt underneath or something), [this](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D-v4qd2EiWY/T-x0klDaSzI/AAAAAAAABXY/NDxDxkJfodU/s1600/dgd2.jpg) on the second date, and [this](http://www.styleround.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Casual-Men-Clothes-to-Groom-Your-Personality-7-819x1024.jpg?60f84c) on the third (pleated jeans and all? you decide).

At Sina High School, it was a running joke between students and faculty alike that the only person Levi Ackerman would ever listen to was Erwin Smith. Although the two never had the chance to interact on a regular basis, being in completely separate departments, a mutual respect existed between the two men that caught the interest of anyone who saw them together. This, of course, sparked occasional speculation of the exact nature of their relationship. Guesses ran the gamut from fighting to fucking, but the truth was that up until the autumn of Mr. Smith’s fourth year at the school, nothing had gone on between them, and likely never would.

Then things took a turn for the interesting.

 

In the time Erwin Smith had taught history at Sina, he held the unique honor of never having a student fall asleep in his class. Some said it was simply his unbridled passion for the subject, others said it was simply the listenable lilt of his baritone voice, but students came away from his class time and time again with a new outlook about the study of history. What really made him special was his unique way of covering conflicts: while other teachers were content to make their students memorize near-endless lists of dates and names, Mr. Smith liked to take his time covering these units, drawing out what made battles interesting and worthwhile to learn about. He often submerged the class in tactics lessons so they could better understand the rationale of the commanding officers and why they had to make the decisions that turned the tide of the war for good or for worse. While many teachers had gone into the job for the wrong reasons or lost sight of their goals, Erwin had the rare pleasure of enjoying his job, and his enthusiasm and unbreakable spirit continued to influence students to explore their own passions.

Levi Ackerman was nearly the polar opposite of Mr. Smith. Short, blunt, and with a cunning intellect, Mr. Ackerman was the head of the science department and instructor for the upper-level chemistry courses. He was infamous for the high standards to which he held his students, particularly in keeping the lab space clean. There was an unspoken zero tolerance policy for fooling around in his class. Those who broke that rule were guaranteed to never do it again. Because of his demeanor, many students found him unapproachable, but in actuality, if a student was struggling, he was more than happy to set aside time to get them back on their feet, if they were brave enough to approach him and talk about it.

Unfortunately, many students _weren’t_ brave enough to go directly to him. Instead, they went to Erwin.

“So it’s your chemistry class, is it,” Erwin sighed, meeting with one of his advisees during his lunch break on a Tuesday afternoon. “Have you tried talking to Mr. Ackerman about this? That would be the first thing I would tell you to do if you haven’t.”

“Well,” the student began, trying to keep from biting his nails, “I would, under normal circumstances, but I don’t think he likes me.”

This was usually the first excuse Erwin heard.

“That’s nonsense. Mr. Ackerman is very receptive to students who approach him for help.”

“Well, Mr. Smith, I’m sure that’s true… but, erm….”

He knew what was coming next.

“...do you think it would be too much trouble to talk to him? For me? Just mention my name or something next time you see him, just so he knows. It’d be a huge help, just a little hint is all he needs—”

Erwin sighed. “Alright, Drew, but just a mention is all. I’ll ask after school today, if you promise to go talk to him yourself first thing tomorrow morning.” Drew’s face, drooping with guilt, suddenly lit up. “Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah, yeah, I think I can!” he said cheerfully. “Thank you so much, Mr. Smith, you’ve been so helpful.”

“Anytime,” Erwin smiled, waving him out of the office so he could finish his lunch.

 

Directly after his last class of the day, Erwin booked it up to the science department offices, just in time to see Levi walking the opposite direction down the hallway.

“Levi,” Erwin called after the small retreating figure. “Levi, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Erwin,” Levi said, stopping in his tracks and not bothering to turn around. “Let me guess: another student?”

“Well…” Erwin hesitated, lengthening his strides to catch up. “Yes, it was. Andrew Shiller came to me today during lunchtime to—”

“To tell you what an awful teacher I am and how I have a scary expression on all the time so he can’t talk to me? Please. Heard it before.”

“He seems to earnestly want to ask you for help, he just doesn’t know where to start,” Erwin said tactfully. 

“That boy has ‘earnest’ pouring out his ears, he’s one of the most charismatic students in his grade,” Levi scoffed. “I’m surprised he can’t summon up the balls to talk to me.”

Erwin laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair. “Well, you know how it is sometimes…” 

“You’re right, it is a pretty cut-and-dry process at this point. My students come to you, you come to me, I go to them. And so on and so forth. I could put an appropriate chemistry analogy here but I’m not sure you would understand.”

“You’re probably right,” Erwin conceded. “Or I could make a battle tactics analogy and we could be even.”

“I’ll take a pass,” said Levi, dismissing the thought with a wave of his hand. Seeing that Erwin had nothing more to say, he resumed his walk down the hallway, readjusting his messenger bag on his shoulder.

“Wait, Levi,” Erwin called again, now breaking into a near run to catch up with Levi’s moving figure.

Erwin had thought he had seen every impatient expression Levi had to offer. Apparently he was wrong.

“I was thinking, er, well I was wondering if, erm…”

“Get it out, Smith, I don’t have all day.”

“I was wondering if youmaybewantedtoswapphonenumbers.”

“Sorry, could you say that a little slower?” Levi asked carefully, eyebrows knitting together.

“I was thinking that instead of me having to chase you down every time there’s an issue like this, with a student I mean, it might be nice to have each other’s phone numbers so I know where to find you?” Erwin ended his ramble on a question mark, any confidence gone out the window with Levi’s undivided attention now focused on him. A long pause ensued, only broken by the distant slam of lockers and quiet footsteps walking down the corridor. Erwin was almost on the verge of posing the question again when the corner of Levi’s mouth twitched upwards, a hint of a smile.

“I’ll think about it.”

Erwin let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Levi held his gaze for a moment longer, searching for something, and when he found it, he gave a small nod and turned to the stairwell.

“But if you’re the sort who likes to prank call, constantly text, anything, believe me, I will find you, and you _will_ be sorry,” he added, lifting a hand in a half-hearted farewell as he descended down the stairs and out the door.

 

When Erwin walked into work the next morning, a bright blue post-it note poked out cheekily from beneath a stack of ungraded midterms. A phone number (presumably Levi’s, who else would it have been from?) was written in clean script. Unfortunately, Erwin’s morning was packed with classes and meetings, and he had to ignore the temptation, shove the note under the papers, and book it to his first period US History class.

By lunchtime, he couldn’t wait around any longer. Swiveling around in his chair to check that no one else in the office would bother him, he pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly programmed Levi in as a contact – the white square where a contact photo was supposed to go stood out to him, oddly, and he made a note to himself to get a real picture of Levi to put in its place. He typed out a quick message and fired it off, making sure his phone was on silent and propped somewhere where he could see the screen light up.

He didn’t have to wait long.

_hey levi, guess who ;-)_

_Don’t make me regret giving you my phone number,_ was the near-instantaneous reply. _You text like an old man. Nobody uses noses in their emoticons anymore. Nobody our age uses emoticons at all. Ever._

 _i think you like it_ , Erwin retorted, grinning as he tapped away at the slide-out keyboard on his phone, _and if i didnt know better i would guess you were thinking about me just now to have replied so quickly._

 _You wish, Smith_ , came Levi’s answer, a measured three minutes later.

They continued to banter back and forth for the entire lunch hour, in which most of Erwin’s food and all of Erwin’s pile of grading slipped by the wayside to continue his conversation with Levi. It left him feeling wonderfully buoyant in a way he hadn’t experienced in a long time. 

He was pulled from this high when Levi stopped responding some time later. Had he said something wrong? Did Levi think this was boring? Erwin sat slumped in his chair, confused, but his bafflement didn’t last long: one glance at the top of his phone told him he was three minutes late for his first afternoon class, which was likely where Levi was as well. With a scowl, he quickly unlocked his top desk drawer and slid his phone in, banishing thoughts of Levi and texting to the back of his mind in favor of the Battle of Waterloo. His class notes and textbooks were on a pile on the corner of his desk, and Erwin snatched them in his arms and sped down the hallway, rolling down the sleeves of his work shirt and hoping his students wouldn’t notice the slight flush on his face.

 

Not a single student came to Erwin about Levi’s classes for the rest of the week, yet they both continued to message each other intermittently after school and occasionally during their lunch break (though Levi preferred not to have his phone out during school hours, as he feared that it would set a bad example for the students and the rest of the department if the chair was seen using it on a regular basis). The texts picked up in frequency over the weekend, and by the middle of the next week, Erwin had earned an invitation to Levi’s house for Friday night dinner.

 _But don’t think this is because we’re friends or anything_ , said Levi’s text, sent quickly after his initial offer. _To clarify._

 

Levi’s house turned out to only be a few short blocks from the school. It wasn’t uncommon for students and teachers both to live in the neighborhood – they could often be seen walking home together, discussing the latest crisis in the Middle East or a P = NP problem – but Erwin lived on the north side of the area, where the rent was cheaper and the foot traffic was lessened. His apartment was close enough that he could walk most days, or bike if time was short, and the close commute now proved handy as he made his way home on Friday afternoon. Erwin spent the better part of the next two and a half hours getting himself cleaned up. He did _not_ , he insisted, spend most of that time picking out what shirt and tie to wear, eventually scrapping both the shirt and the tie at the last minute in favor of a simple navy sweater and brown pants. Safe. Clean. And he thought that sweater made his arms look nice anyway.

At 5:35pm, giving himself an extra five minutes to account for nerves, Erwin set out into the crisp evening air for Levi’s house. Perhaps due to the nerves, Erwin arrived at his destination five minutes ahead of schedule. Telling himself for the fifth time that he didn’t need to make sure his hair was in place, he pushed down the funny feeling in his stomach and rang the bell. He was on the verge of letting nervousness win out and had just begun to turn to the window to check his reflection when the wooden door creaked open, revealing Levi wearing a canvas-colored apron and another unfamiliar expression, one that Erwin might call “surprisingly pleased”.

“You’re early,” Levi commented, leaning on the doorframe with a raised eyebrow.

“So I am,” Erwin replied lamely. Levi waited a moment before stepping aside and gesturing for him to come in. He shut the door behind them with a heavy thunk, hopping up the step separating the mudroom from the hallway.

“Shoes off by the door,” he ordered. “I didn’t think you were capable of arriving anywhere less than five minutes late, so dinner still isn’t finished.”

“You live alone?” Erwin asked, slipping off his shoes and placing them on the mat next to the door, as instructed.

“What, you thought I was bringing you home to my wife of ten years or something?” Levi scoffed. “Don’t be an idiot.”

“No, it’s not that, I just thought you might have a pet or something.”

Levi stopped dead in his tracks. “Erwin. Christ. Pets _shed_. It’s _messy_. I don’t want to have to go around cleaning up after high schoolers by day and some animal by night.”

“Oh. It seems empty. For just you, is all.” He decided to leave out the fact that Levi could get a pet that didn’t shed, or one with no dander. It probably wouldn’t help his case.

“Trying to forcefully insert yourself into it, I see,” Levi chuckled dryly, crossing the threshold into the kitchen. “It’s close to the school and a halfway-decent grocery store. I couldn’t ask for much else.”

The importance of a halfway-decent grocery store became clear the moment Erwin stepped into the kitchen. A wave of savory smells hit him in the face, nearly making him reel backward from sheer sensory pleasure. (In hindsight, he thought dimly, it was probably not a good idea to skip lunch.)

“It’s going to take another ten minutes or so, so make yourself comfortable,” said Levi, pointing to the small informal dining area off the back of the kitchen. 

“What are you making?” Erwin asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Tortellini. Hope you don’t have a problem with pasta.”

“Oh, no, it’s one of my favorites,” Erwin said hurriedly, taking his time to walk through the kitchen and examine everything with a keen interest. “Is there some way I can help? I would feel bad just sitting around while you finished preparing everything.”

“You can help set the table. Silverware is in the drawer next to your left hand. Back one. Other left, Erwin. Napkins are in the holder on the counter.” 

“Roger that,” Erwin chuckled, grabbing two forks, two knives, and napkins and bringing them to the table. 

 

“God, Levi, if I’d known you could cook…”

Erwin was pretty sure he had died and gone to heaven. There was no way that food could possibly be this delicious.

“Don’t finish that statement,” said Levi, rolling his eyes.

“And this sauce, what’s in it?”

“I… it’s red sauce.”

“Well, what’s in it?”

“Tomatoes, rosemary, olive oil, garlic… it’s pretty basic stuff, any functioning adult should know how to make it. Do you not know how to cook or something?”

“I know how to cook,” Erwin said hastily, averting his eyes. “I’m just more of a microwave chef, if you catch my drift.”

“A microwave chef.”

“Sometimes I use the oven. And the stove.”

“To make what, macaroni and cheese?”

“There is nothing wrong with macaroni and cheese!”

A strange gleam appeared in Levi’s eyes.

“How do you live, Smith. How are you alive.”

“Uh… breathing?”

“Never mind,” he scoffed, spearing a piece of pasta purposefully on his fork.

 

On Monday morning, to his utter surprise and delight, Erwin received a second invitation to Friday night dinner at Levi’s house. _Treasure Island is having a seafood sale_ , said a followup text around lunchtime. _I’m going to pick something up this afternoon. Any aversions to walleye?_

 _none at all,_ Erwin texted back, resisting the urge to punch the air in joy. A clever thought slipped into his head, and he quickly typed up and fired off a second text.

_im surprised you didnt ask about oysters though_

_...Oysters?_

Erwin learned that day that it was entirely possible for Levi to convey his unique stare through a phone screen.

_I can smell the lame “food of love” joke you were about to make from all the way up in my office. Quit while you’re ahead, Smith._

Erwin pocketed his phone with a smile, picked up his books, and trotted off to his morning class.

 

That Friday, Erwin arrived on Levi’s doorstep two minutes early, a bottle of wine in hand. Mere moments after he rang the bell, Levi appeared, letting him in with a nod and a hello and rushing back to the kitchen. Erwin placed his shoes on the mat and followed Levi into the house, setting the bottle of wine on the counter and perching lightly next to the countertop.

“Sorry, I’ve just got to keep an eye on the cakes,” said Levi, by way of explanation. “Damn things will burn in a second if you don’t keep a watch on them.”

“Cakes?” said Erwin. “I thought we were having fish.”

Levi sighed and turned around, one hand on his hip and a pair of tongs in the other. “We are having fish. I’m making walleye wild rice cakes.”

“I was about to ask how and why you might fry a cake, but you just answered that question,” Erwin laughed, crossing his arms and leaning against the side of the fridge.

“You really need to expand your palate,” said Levi, turning back around to hide his smile. “Or at least your food vocabulary.”

“You’ve been doing a fine job of that so far.”

“Hey, since you’re standing by the fridge, can you go in there and find the wooden bowl on the second shelf? That’s the dressing for these. It can go on the table.” Erwin picked himself up off the counter and opened the door to the fridge, finding the bowl exactly where Levi said it would be. 

“What’s in this?” asked Erwin, giving it a sniff.

“Nothing too exotic,” said Levi, pulling the fish cakes out of the skillet. “What do you want to drink?”

“Oh, I brought wine, actually,” said Erwin, gesturing with his free hand as he walked to the table. “To thank you. I hoped it would go with the meal.”

“Pinot Grigio, not bad,” Levi nodded. “Seems you do know something about food that doesn’t come in a plastic container.”

Erwin outright refused to admit that he had done some googling on the topic to make sure it would be a good pairing, so he accepted the praise in silence.

 

“I never thought that wasabi would go this well with things that aren’t sushi,” Erwin commented, finishing off the last of his fish cakes.

“Impressive, right? I found this recipe a few months back and it hasn’t failed to amaze me. Good thing that we’ve got an Asian market a bus ride away, though, I refuse to settle for that powdered crap.” Leiv daintily wiped his mouth and hopped down from his chair, starting to stack the silverware on his plate.

“Here, no, let me help, it’s the least I can do,” said Erwin, taking Levi’s plate from his outstretched hands and stacking it on top of his own, carrying them both to the sink. Levi’s expression turned thoughtful as he gathered the wine glasses in one hand and the serving dishes in the other.

“So, next week?” Levi called.

“Next week?”

“Dinner,” Levi said, rounding the corner and stacking the plates next to Erwin.

“Love to.”

 

The next week saw Levi pushing his culinary comfort zone. 

“I’ve never made this before, apologies in advance for using you as a guinea pig. I did a little recipe tweaking, too, so I might have fucked it up and it could taste like total shit, who knows.”

“I’m sure that’s not the case,” Erwin said, shuddering in delight as a bowl of beef bourguignon was placed in front of him. “This smells divine. And everything looks so well put-together. Just like out of a cookbook.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Levi warned, sliding his own bowl onto the table and hopping into his chair. “But I guess we won’t know until we try it. Hand me the wine?”

“I’ll do you one better,” said Erwin, grabbing Levi’s glass and filling it full of the rich burgundy liquid. He handed the glass back and raised his own.

“Bon appetit,” he said, voice raising in a bad imitation of Julia Child.

“Bon appetit, indeed,” Levi chuckled, touching the glasses together.

 

The beef bourguignon was, as expected, nothing short of delicious. The small enhancements Levi made to the recipe served to bring out the flavors even more. Both men had eaten more than their fill and were now sitting in a food coma on the couch in Levi’s living room, polishing off a third bottle of Pinot Noir between them.

“What time is it?” Erwin groaned, unwilling to move from his current spot come hell or high water. Not to mention that Levi’s couch smelled nice. Probably because Levi sat on it regularly. And Levi always smelled nice. 

“Think it’s past eleven?” Levi spread his arms out along the back of the sofa and relaxed further into the cushions, sighing blissfully.

“Shit, I should probably go,” Erwin said with a frown. Drunk or not, five hours was probably pushing the limits of Levi’s hospitality. He had to remember to bring another bottle of wine next time as a thank you. Maybe two. Maybe several. But for now he had to go home. He summoned the last of his willpower and stood, giving himself a small mental shake and shrugging off some of his warm drunken haze.

“I was thinking of turning in soon anyway,” Levi yawned, slowly rising from the couch. “Walk you to the door, though.” He placed a hand at the small of Erwin’s back, giving him a small nudge towards the front entryway. Erwin took the hint, the wine keeping him from jumping out of his skin at the sudden contact. He tried not to think about how Levi’s hand fit perfectly as he stepped down into the mudroom and slid his shoes and jacket on. Levi, unaware of the inner turmoil that Erwin was now facing, leaned casually against the doorframe, gaining half a foot in height from the step.

“Hope you enjoyed being my food tester tonight,” said Levi, shoulders sagging in contentement from an evening well-spent.

Before Erwin could stop himself, he closed the gap between himself and Levi, cupping his face with a tender hand and bringing their lips together in a soft kiss.

“It was wonderful,” Erwin said. “Thank you.”

 

Erwin’s phone lit up with a text early on Saturday morning. He dragged himself out of bed with a groan, compelled by the special alert tone he had set for Levi, and plucked the device from the dresser and brought it back to bed with him.

 _We should probably talk about that_.

Erwin didn’t even need to ask for clarification.

 _do you think it really needs to be talked about?_ he asked, too groggy for the anticipation to truly set in. He hit the send button, falling into a half-doze and clutching his phone as he waited for a reply. When none came, he slid open the keyboard and typed out a second response, firing it off before he could think about it too hard. _i was sure of what i was doing. i’m not going to take it back. i think we could be going down a good path, if we just let it happen._

Just as he had almost slipped completely back into slumber, Levi’s text tone woke him once more.

_I’ll think about it._

 

Levi stuck with the radio silence all through the weekend. By Saturday evening, Erwin had begun to wonder if maybe he _had_ gone too far, with the kiss or the texts or both. He ended up staying in his apartment all day on Sunday, watching Netflix and grading papers, determined not to let it bog him down. His sleep was fitful that night, and he went into work the next morning clutching an extra large thermos of coffee with an ever-growing pit of dread in his stomach.

It took him until his afternoon class had ended to notice the blue sticky note hidden on the back wall of his desk between two stacks of books. Erwin had never been a user of sticky notes, preferring to use a small pocket notebook to record things instead, and though others in his department sometimes used them to communicate, what reason would they have to hide it in such a location? With trembling fingers, he reached between the books and plucked it off the wall.

_Dinner, Friday? –L_

 

Half of Erwin hoped he wouldn’t run into Levi at school and be forced to confront him before it was absolutely necessary. The other half wished he could see him as soon as possible, even if that ended up being on his way into a class or in the men’s bathroom. Either way, it turned out that he was denied a choice in the matter: on Tuesday, at the monthly faculty meeting, Erwin found out that Levi was at a conference for most of the week and wouldn’t be back until Friday morning, at the earliest. He wondered, then, why Levi had invited him over for dinner on the day he was supposed to return, but figured that he wouldn’t have asked if it didn’t work with his schedule. 

Erwin could hardly concentrate the whole week Levi was gone. He had no previous experience with this kind of situation, but he knew he at least had to restrain the urge to fidget or text Levi every five seconds. Thankfully, Erwin’s class schedule that week had a number of films and exams scheduled in, so he didn’t have to think too hard about making sure his lectures were coherent, only on keeping his own excitement contained.

When Friday morning finally rolled around, Erwin couldn’t take it anymore. He set his US History class up with the final part of a series on the Civil War and perched behind the desk in the corner of the room, stacking papers around the area under the guise of grading them and slipping his phone from his pocket. Erwin typed around six different versions of a text to Levi, making sure to use proper punctuation and capitalization in each of them, before finally deciding on one to send: not too anticipatory, not too passé, and certainly not too rambling. 

_Hope your conference went well. Still on for dinner tonight?_

He crossed his fingers under the table and hit send.

About twenty minutes later, only some of which was spent grading, he received a message delivered in two quick pulses against his thigh. Glancing around to make sure no one had heard the noise, he pulled his phone out. Sure enough, the text was from Levi.

_Flight just got in. Should make it home in plenty of time. Hope you’re not expecting a five-course meal or something, though._

Erwin couldn’t smother his beatific grin if he tried.

_whatever you’re up to making will be great, even if its nothing at all. we could always carry in if you’re too tired?_

_I won’t stoop to your level that quickly, Smith_ , said another text, arriving less than a minute later. Erwin’s skin began to feel flush as he restrained a laugh.

_fine, no carry in tonite then. but its still okay if you dont want to cook. i just want to see you._

A tense few minutes unfolded as the film began to wind down with no text from Levi. When the credits began to roll and Erwin made to stand, his pocket thumped a sudden staccato beat. In spite of himself, he turned around, shielding the phone screen from his students.

_Me too._

 

Instead of going home to freshen up, Erwin decided to stay at school, not wanting to put an extra fifteen minutes between himself and Levi if he could help it. As soon as the rest of the faculty left for the weekend, he positioned himself in full view of the clock on the wall of the department office, hopping between grading assignments, playing Solitaire on his phone, and idly drumming his fingers on the desk, wishing the time would pass more quickly.

When 5:50pm rolled around, Erwin’s briefcase had already been packed, and he dashed out the door in a frantic rush, arriving on Levi’s doorstep at exactly 6:00pm. As he went to ring the doorbell, he noticed that the front door had been left ajar: an invitation to let himself in. Tentatively, as if he would trip an alarm, Erwin pushed the door open, placing his shoes on the mat out of habit and leaving his briefcase beside them. He glanced through the glass door of the mudroom down the hallway and into the kitchen. Levi was rushing from stove to refrigerator and back again, pausing here and there to chop some ingredient and add it to a wok simmering over a medium flame. Erwin smiled despite himself and opened the door, sliding more than walking to the kitchen in his stocking feet. Levi caught him halfway, tossing the spatula on the counter and striding purposefully towards him. He stopped a few feet short, a shadow of uncertainty passing over his features before he raised his eyes to meet Erwin’s.

“Levi.”

“Erwin. You’ve made it I see.”

“I could say the same. Did your flight go well?”

“A few too many screaming children for my liking, but that’s what earplugs are for.”

“They really are pretty awful, aren’t they?” Erwin agreed, eyes softening with a smile. Silence surrounded them, the food in the wok sizzling comfortingly in the background.

“I’m sorry if I made things awkward last week,” Erwin blurted out, fists clenching at his sides. “I just think I’ve liked you for a while and then we actually started talking and you had me over for dinner and I guess I just got carried away and…” He trailed off, eyes going wide. _Too much information._

“I’m just glad to be here with you,” he said quietly, eyes cast down at his socks. 

While he was distracted, Levi’s hand slipped into his own, squeezing lightly and bringing him back to the present moment.

“You’re an idiot,” Levi said fondly.

 

A few rumors began to circulate around Sina High School over the next few weeks concerning Mr. Smith and Mr. Ackerman. Most were simply hearsay or too ridiculous to be true, but no one could deny the change in their behavior: Mr. Smith had now made a habit of running slightly late for classes first thing in the morning and after lunch in the afternoon and could occasionally be seen texting in class if his students were busy with an exam or a film, while cold Mr. Ackerman had begun to let his wall down and had suddenly become much more approachable to teachers and students alike. That was not to say that his infamous demeanor had disappeared altogether, or that students were more willing to come to him – despite the change in behavior, his reputation still stood.

A few weeks before fall quarter finals, one of Levi’s students came to Erwin in tears. She had recently taken a chemistry test and nearly flunked, and though it was obvious she needed to speak to Mr. Ackerman about it, she couldn’t find it within herself to go to him for fear of some kind of verbal punishment for her bad grade. Erwin had her last year in his European History class – she was quiet but bright, and afraid to ask for help in the fear that it would reflect badly on her. This, combined with Levi’s prickly mannerisms, had her quaking in terror of what might happen if she brought it up with him.

“Oh, he’s really not as bad as you’re making him out to be,” Erwin laughed, brushing off the comment with a wave of his hand. “He’s actually a big softie underneath it all, don’t tell him I said that… look, if you want me to go talk to him on your behalf, I can make some time after the staff meeting tomorrow afternoon. Do you think that would help?”

 

In actuality, “making time after the staff meeting” meant Levi fingering Erwin into oblivion in an unused supply closet in the back of the chemistry lab. 

“What would you count this as, Erwin? Are we meeting in an ‘unofficial capacity’?” said Levi, raising an eyebrow. “What poor student came to you this time?”

“A-ah, Megan A-Anderson… god, Levi, don’t stop…”

“Hm. She seemed like the type to come to me on her own. Well, good to know, I’ll keep that in mind when I see her next…” Erwin let out an undignified whine when Levi brushed over his prostate, his thin fingers crooking expertly. “You know, Erwin, have you ever considered that we could go to someone’s _house_? Where there are _beds_? And a far, _far_ smaller chance of the janitor catching us?”

“No one knows this closet’s here, Levi, I don’t think— aah!!”

“Not yet they don’t. I’m surprised, to be honest. You’re the loudest man I’ve ever had the _pleasure_ of being with. They’ll find out sooner or later.”

“I don’t care, let them.”

Levi stopped the insistent stretch of his fingers, a quizzical frown on his face and a pleased gleam in his eye.

“You’re coming over. Tonight.”

“But it’s not Friday—”

“Just shut up, Erwin,” Levi snapped, slipping a third finger in and pressing Erwin’s lower back against the wall.

 

As instructed, Erwin came over to Levi’s house at the usual time, despite the fact that it was a Tuesday. He had an idea of what Levi might be planning: though they had been experimenting with sexual activities as of late, they had yet to do the act itself, and Erwin had a hunch that Levi was set on changing that tonight.

The door flew open without so much as a finger on the bell, and Levi yanked him inside by the collar of his shirt, pressing him up against the frame as soon as it was bolted shut and invading his every sense, mouths clashing together in a tangle of tongue and teeth. Erwin gave a yelp of surprise and wilted against the wood, allowing Levi to press further into his space and more deeply plunder his mouth.

“I want to take you,” Levi gasped. “Have you ever—”

“No, nothing but what you’ve done with me. But we’ll figure it out.” Levi licked his lips and tugged Erwin into the hallway, pressing him against the bottom of the guard rail and recapturing his mouth. Erwin moaned happily, surrendering himself to the kiss as Levi began to tug at his bottom lip and fumble with the top buttons of his shirt, slowly moving from his mouth to his neck.

“God, Levi, I want you…” Erwin murmured, baring his neck as Levi continued to travel downwards, occasionally pausing to suck a love bite or worry a nipple.

“Than we’d better get upstairs,” said Levi, voice gone husky with desire. He dragged Erwin to the stairs by the collar of his shirt, Erwin following him up in a lust-induced haze. They had to stop twice to satisfy Levi’s urges to claim Erwin’s mouth, especially since the stairs were able to give him such a height advantage, but they finally made it into Levi’s bedroom, the bed made up with a freshly-starched set of grey sheets that crinkled when Erwin landed on them. Levi followed not long afterwards, after discarding his own shirt and watch, and straddled Erwin’s legs, stripping his shirt off the rest of the way and gyrating his hips in tantalizing circles.

“I’m gonna make this amazing for you,” Levi promised in a whisper as one small hand undid the clasp on Erwin’s suit pants. “You think what we’ve done so far feels good? This is nothing like it. This is like _nothing_ you’ve ever tried before.” Erwin let out a soft whine as Levi pulled his cock free from his boxers. “But first, I’m going to get you all warmed up.” He placed a hand in the middle of Erwin’s chest and pushed so that his back met the bed, and quickly shimmied downward to remove his pants and boxers the rest of the way before swallowing his cock. Erwin clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle the loud, high-pitched moan that clawed its way out of his throat, back arching gracefully off the bed as Levi began to suck. After a few minutes of nothing but pleasure and heat, Levi reached up and pinched a nipple to get Erwin’s attention before slowly withdrawing his head.

“Flip over for me,” Levi growled, “and spread your legs.”

Erwin’s eyes widened but he was quick to comply. Levi could see that the clear blue of his eyes had turned stormy and dark, covetous. He gave himself a long moment to savor the view of powerful, persuasive Erwin Smith spread before him like an eager whore, and then wasted no time getting down to the main event. His quick tongue licked a long stripe up from Erwin’s balls to his tiny, fluttering hole, prompting shudders so strong that he could feel them run through his own body. Levi began to circle Erwin’s hole with teasing motions, up and down and side to side, until Erwin could no longer hold back his tremors, and only then did he plunge his tongue in, spreading Erwin even wider so that he could reach more deeply inside of him. 

“Levi, oh fuck, your _tongue_ ,” Erwin groaned, raising his ass father in the air in the hopes that Levi would give him more. He soon got what he asked for: Levi moaned into him and thrust two fingers into his gaping mouth, coating them with saliva before sliding them in next to his tongue. Erwin gasped, his legs beginning to shake as Levi found his prostate. He thrust his hips down into the touch, hands grasping at the bedcovers when Levi began to scissor his fingers. 

“You like that, Erwin? You like my fingers, you’re going to love my dick,” Levi whispered, breath rolling up Erwin’s bare back. 

“Levi…”

“I get to claim that tight, virgin ass all for myself. How do you feel about that?”

“Levi, I want you...” Erwin’s face and chest had begun to turn a beautiful glowing shade of pink that deepened the more Levi probed with his tongue and fingers.

“I hope you appreciate my self-control, you make such a picture right now that you should be thankful I haven’t thrown in the towel and stuck it in you already.” Erwin squirmed marvelously underneath him as Levi continued to whisper filthy things into his ear, gently teasing the area around his prostate without ever quite giving Erwin what he wanted. When he was satisfied that Erwin had been opened up enough, he left a kiss and a bite on his right cheek before clambering off the bed to dig in his nightstand drawer for lube and a condom. Erwin flipped back over to watch him, lazily stroking his dick as Levi rolled the condom on and crawled back on the bed with lube in hand. He was suddenly overcome with a wave of tenderness in the face of all of Levi’s bravado, and he raised a hand and beckoned to him quietly.

“Get up here and kiss me,” he murmured, setting both hands on the bed so he could more effectively prop himself up. Levi obliged his request, some of the heat leaving his eyes to make room for reciprocal affection, and he met Erwin’s lips in a slow kiss, one hand tangling in his soft blond hair. 

“Wrap your legs around my back,” Levi instructed, breaking off the kiss to catch his breath and line up the head of his cock. “I’ll be gentle, but if you want me to go slower or stop just say something, okay?” Erwin’s eyes fluttered shut, and he nodded minutely. Levi began to press in, Erwin’s ass opening up gloriously on the head of his cock. When he was about halfway in, Erwin began to freeze up in his arms, muscles going stiff as a board. With a great deal of determination, Levi stopped moving, stroking a hand gently down Erwin’s face. The blond snapped out of his trance and caught Levi’s pinky finger in his mouth, running his tongue along the pad before holding it between his teeth and relinquishing it.

“Keep going,” he whispered, laying his own hand over Levi’s. Levi licked his lips and continued to push in, Erwin’s head falling back to the mattress with a soft strained groan. Eventually, Levi bottomed out, pelvis stuck flush against Erwin’s.

“How does it feel?” Levi asked, stroking the curve of Erwin’s torso with his free hand.

 Erwin shivered responsively and pressed his hips into Levi’s.  “Fucking move.”

“Fucking fine.” Continuing with his slow, controlled movements for the time being, he drew halfway out before pushing back in, angling upwards this time in hopes of finding Erwin’s prostate. He knew that he had found it when Erwin’s back bowed off the bed, Levi’s name leaving him in a stuttered gasp, face twisted in ecstasy. 

“Talk to me, Erwin,” Levi commanded, a smile stretching his features as he drew back and repeated the motion. “How does it feel?”

“A-amazing, I feel so full and—!!” He was cut off when Levi connected with his prostate again, crying out in pleasure when Levi began to gyrate his hips. Levi couldn’t decide what was more arousing: the sight of Erwin clinging on to his lower back for dear life or the unbelievable sounds spilling from his lips. As the two got into a rhythm, Erwin started to breathe in shallow pants the harder Levi fucked him, his face and chest tinting to a dusky pink.

“You like that, Erwin?” said Levi. “Does that feel good?”

“Levi…” Erwin’s pleas sounded like a prayer, spoken softly and with conviction. The thought made Levi’s insides clench.

“Erwin.”

“Levi, I’m so close,” Erwin moaned, throwing an arm over his face to hide his ever-deepening blush and scrunched up facial expression (one which Levi had half a mind to call ‘adorable’, but perhaps not in that moment).

“Oh no you don’t,” Levi panted. “I want to see your face when I make you cum.” As if to prove his point, he started thrusting even deeper and adding more of a roll to his hips. With some hesitancy, Erwin brought his arm away from his face just in time to see Levi lick a stripe up the palm of his hand and begin jacking Erwin off in time with the slap of his hips. Erwin’s breath started to hitch, a short moan being forced out of him with each thrust, alternated with harsh whispers of Levi’s name. When at last Levi made another direct connection with his prostate, Erwin tipped over the edge with a hoarse, drawn-out cry of his name, eyes crinkling and mouth forming a perfect O as he clenched around Levi’s dick and spilled all over Levi’s hand and his own stomach. For once in his life, Levi couldn’t bring himself to care about the mess. He worked Erwin through his orgasm, hips losing their rhythm somewhere along the line as he followed him over.

When they were both spent, the two men collapsed to the bed, panting heavily and resting in each other’s arms. After a few minutes had passed, Levi slowly pulled out of Erwin, efficiently typing off the condom and disposing of it in a nearby wastebin. He picked up a damp washcloth he had left on the bedside table and wiped down his hand before cleaning Erwin’s stomach and chest. Erwin was almost too fucked out to notice that Levi was touching him, but when he did it brought a ghost of the earlier flush back to his cheeks and the tips of his ears. Levi couldn’t help himself and bent to claim Erwin’s lips, a sentiment that was happily returned.

A sleepy droop was evident in Erwin’s features now. Levi tossed the washcloth in the general direction of the bathroom, hearing it fall somewhere on the tile with a wet thop, before pulling back the covers and inviting Erwin in with a raised eyebrow. Erwin smiled gratefully, clambering up the bed to slip under the sheets on the side Levi had indicated, the other man joining him shortly afterward and curling under his arm like he was made to fit. They lay in blissful silence, contented just to be in each other’s company in such an intimate way, but after some time Levi broke the silence.

“I was thinking about what you said today, about letting everyone know.”

Erwin perked up immediately, shifting under the covers to fix Levi with an excitable grin that just screamed _yes!_ and _please!_ Levi barely contained a chortle when he realized that if Erwin was a dog, his tail would be wagging a mile a minute. 

“I thought you would think so,” Levi smiled. “But I have a condition.”

“I’m okay with conditions,” said Erwin. 

“If we’re going to start telling people that we’re together, or at least stop actively denying the rumors, I’d like it if you would move in with me. It _is_ a little empty around here, when I thought about what you said. I’d appreciate the company. And you can stop putting down money on that shitty apartment and food that tastes like cardboard. Seems like a win-win.”

Erwin had been convinced since “move in with me,” and he only just resisted the urge to squeal with joy. He wrapped his arms around Levi and pulled him in for a tight hug, burying his face in Levi’s hair to hide the shine in his eyes.

“Hey, Erwin, breathing. Let go, would you?” Levi laughed, squirming until Erwin loosened his hold. “And actually, I thought of another condition: no more sexual activities on school property.”

Erwin’s face fell minutely, though he knew Levi was right. “Aww, are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Not only is it unsanitary, but it’s dangerous for both of our jobs. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I think we _like_ our jobs.” Erwin nodded enthusiastically. “Then that settles it.”

“Does this mean we can’t do _anything_?”

“Yes, Erwin, nothing. No touching.”

“You won’t even kiss me?”

Levi thought for a minute.

“Alright, you can kiss me, but that’s it.”

“I _can_?” Erwin’s earlier disappointment was quickly forgotten.

“Sometimes. Maybe. I have to think about it.”

“This is gonna be _great_!” he exclaimed, breaking into a broad smile and tugging Levi a little closer.

Levi traced the laugh lines around his eyes reverently. “Looks like I got a pet after all.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> [The theme of the fucking is as follows.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvdYly4A5W0)
> 
> EDIT (7/14): fuckin wow... I forgot about the theme of the fucking... and ended up recording a [special version](http://snk-sexual.tumblr.com/post/91693785061/voice-prompt-24-if-youre-brave-enough-sing-us) of it by happenstance! OTL 
> 
> I’m always so worried that people won’t know what grocery stores I’m talking about when I write… in my Playwriting class last semester, there was a line in a play I wrote comparing Jewel (a midwestern grocery chain that’s inexpensive and doesn’t stock super high-quality stuff) to Whole Foods (a national (I’m pretty sure) chain that’s way expensive but generally way better for you), and nobody in my class save for the other lone Midwesterner knew what Jewel was. I had to change it to Big Y in the revision so that the New England population would understand what I meant. Silly New Englanders! 
> 
> In either case, if you don’t know what Treasure Island is, it’s this great European-style grocery store chain. Expensive, but not drastically so. Good quality. Trust me when I say that Levi and Erwin would dig it.
> 
> Speaking of food, recipes! I have those! [This](http://www.mygourmetconnection.com/recipes/main-courses/meatless/tortellini-rosemary-tomato-sauce.php) is the tortellini, [these](http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/walleye-wild-rice-cakes-with-wasabi-dressing/) are the walleye wild rice cakes, [this](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beef-bourguignon-recipe.html) is the beef bourguignon (I fucking love Ina Garten).
> 
> Thank you to [crowley-kingoftrunks](http://crowley-kingoftrunks.tumblr.com) for being my beta, as well as being a good friend and taking care of me from afar in this time of scary health concerns.
> 
> –[snk-sexual](http://snk-sexual.tumblr.com)


End file.
